Choosing A Side
by SirenShadow
Summary: Jessica Bennett has spend her life in the grey area. But when the time comes for her to choose a side, which will she choose?  Sam, or Caine?  Or is it all relative? OCxEdilio
1. Chapter 1

**Author note: yes, this is my first published story and to be honest, I wrote it in about 15 minutes, so ya, its not my best but I really just wanted to try it out. This is a short view into the life of Jessica Bennett while she lives in the FAYZ. If I get the courage, maybe I'll write a story about her with a plot and some action...I just really liked the idea of her charater and wanted to write about it. so maybe...maybe not...whatever.**

**Rated T for later chapters **

**I WANT reviews and most of all, I want YOUR thoughts! Don't hold back!**

**Jessica Eagle-eye Bennett.**

Becoming a part of the FAYZ had been difficult for Jess. As it had been for all, but she hadn't just lost her parent, she'd lost the only thing in her life that had ever been constant. She and her mother had moved around a lot, the only thing Jess knew about her father was that he ran off, her mother said, when he realized what parenthood really entailed. Her mother had made Jess feel safe, through all the moving and change she'd known that her mother would always be there for her. Jess wasn't a popular kid, she preferred to be alone at lunch, anonymous, unseen, she didn't have many friends and none of them were very close. Despite wanting little social interaction, Jess loved to watch people. She loved to observe them, their behaviours, and their patterns of life. It seemed like if you watched someone long enough, you could discover all there is to know about them. All their secrets were available to the girl in the back of the playground; you didn't know she was analyzing you because you never really noticed her.

No one ever did...She could hear her mother's voice now:

_Always the loner, Jess. Just like your father_

Why had she compared her with her father? She could even remember his face and she hated the man with every fibre of her being. He got scared and left her and her mother and never looked back.

Jess sighed and rubbed her eyes. She missed her mother so much, the pain of losing the only thing that had always been there hurt worse than anything. To make her feel better, Jess did the thing that made her feel her old life again. She watched the people in the square. She watched as they laughed together, squirming at the taste of the unknown fish they ate. they hung in groups, people liked to do that a lot more now that the power was gone and there was little entertainment other than reading books and working. Jess did her part, she worked with her hands, and it was what she was good at. She helped patch up houses after some punk decided to break a window in the middle of the night. She helped build most of the food stands that stood in the square this day. While she was proud of her handiwork, Jess never wanted recognition for her deeds. She was the girl who never got noticed, the girl who was always watching. The girl of mystery.

She also had a power. She was a freak. A moof. Whatever the trending and slightly-not-so-subtly-insulting name was this week, she was it. An outcast, had she ever opened up about it. But she wasn't that stupid. It's not like she was going to become the next freak-rights leader, she was not that noble. But she did watch people. She knew that people like her, like Sam, like Brianna, all those who were too open about their ability would always be seen as different. Not necessarily bad people, Sam was proof of that, but just _different._Jess didn't want to be different; she didn't want to stand out, to be noticed.

That's the way she saw the FAYZ. she could stand atop the church roof if she wanted, shout out to the kids of the FAYZ that she could see them all, whether they were standing right below her, or in her houses or in the god-damn-now-useless-power plant. That no matter where they went, she would be able to see them. That no matter what they hid under, they would still be visible to her. She could speech about how freaks deserved as much respect as normals, she could preach about how they were just the same. But in her heart, from all her observing, Jess knew that it would do no good. The effect would only be negative.

Kids wouldn't want her to fix their walls anymore. She would get looks from all the racist kids around town. She could streak all the way down the square in broad daylight screaming "OLAY!" and not get as much attention as she would if she came out about her power. nobody would trust her if they knew that her eyes, her soft, beautiful green eyes, could see through any material in their way, they could zoom in to about a mile in front of her, there was nothing in the FAYZ that could be kept form her.

so she sat, chewing her fish, watching as the kids went about their quite-less-than-normal lives...she found herself in the mood to talk to someone, she wasn't sure why. The most conversation she'd ever had with a peer usually consisted of a "huh" and ended with a "whatever" or a "cool". She usually got the point across that though not being completely impolite; she could give two farts what you were talking about. But now? She suddenly had the urge to put the effort into an actual conversation with another person?

I guess the FAYZ changed us all, Jess thought.

**I hope you liked;) Read and Review please! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own GONE. Still belongs to michael grant. Read and Review and I hope you like;)**

**This story is slightly AU, Taking place some to the genius Michael Grant.****time between HUNGER and LIES, SPOILER ALERT! CONTAINS SOME CONTENT FROM LIES!**

**Chapter 2: My name is Jess, and I'm here to rescue you. **

She had just been browsing around the town...looking into random houses, bored, but always pulling back when she saw something she knew she wouldn't want anyone else to see if it was her. Jess respected people's privacy when she saw say, some boy making out with his girl, Jess was not a peeping tom after all, but that didn't stop her from snooping in and out of their lives casually when she had nothing better to do. She had no real friends after all so there was no reason for her to be embarrassed by what she saw.

Jess was having a bad day that day. She expected that most kids who knew what day it was were probably emotional wrecks too. It was the six month anniversary of the FAYZ wall coming up and changing their lives forever. After this much time stuck in a ten mile radius bubble with no one over a decade and a half old...needless to say, you would not be the same kid your parents raised you to be. Jess' mother had taught her to be respectful and independent. And Jess loved her for all she gave, for she gave almost everything she could. It's an "almost" because if Jess' mother really had given everything, she'd have stopped that pot-smoking-habit of hers. But Jess never judged...mom had it tough, from an unplanned pregnancy (she'd guessed that part but never asked), to her husband leaving her with the kid, she'd had it tough...

Jess was so depressed, she'd found herself wiping away unexpected tears as she sat on the church steps. She soon stopped; she wasn't the type to cry because she felt sorry for herself, which she thought was not only a little pathetic but also completely pointless. If there was something wrong with your life, you fix it, not cry. Jess couldn't fix this, she was helpless.

She wanted to see her house again so she zoomed in her Eagle eyes to see the neighbourhood on the far side of town, the one where all the less-than-well-off people lived. At first she thought she had the right house, but most houses looked the same in this part of town. As she zoomed into the house, she quickly noticed it wasn't hers by the fact that two kids where standing in the living room. It was very far away from where Jess was sitting and she found that her eyes were strained from the effort of looking so far. Her vision went slightly blotchy like normal eyes get when they've been exposed to too much light.

But something kept her straining to look at the two kids. She could see that one was older, bigger, and as far as Jess could tell, a boy. The other seemed younger and looked like a girl. She looked like she was crying, although Jess couldn't be sure, her vision was getting worse by the second. She couldn't see the other kid very well because his back was turned to her as he faced the little girl. Jess watched in horror as he appeared to raise his hand up, ready to strike.

Jess panicked and got up from her seat before her eyes had actually normalized back to the square. She tried to run down the remaining steps but she stumbled and fell from a sudden dizziness that sprung. She could feel a headache coming on fast but she got up, the fear for the little girl fuelling her, making her drive forward running as fast as she possibly could across the square. She kept running past blurred houses, making her way half by sight and half by memory, pushing kids out of her way as she went.

She was out of breath when she reached the house but her vision had cleared and the headache was gone. Jess did not hesitate one second; she ran up to the front door and tried the door knob.

_Locked_

"HEY!" She yelled, "Hey someone open up in there- there's a f-fire out here, a-and we need help-"

Jess heard glass breaking from somewhere around the house. She was tempted to use her power to see who had broken the glass but decided that running to the backyard would save time. When she rounded the house, she could see the boy she'd seen earlier stumbling out of a broken window.

He couldn't have been older than 13, blond hair, blood dripping from a cut on his right hand onto his already very dirty once-was-white shirt. He wore worn out brown Capri pants and tattered runners.

He turned and did a double take when he saw Jess. His eyes were wild with panic; he turned to run away from her.

_Oh no, you don't _Jess thought as she went after him.

He didn't get far, Jess caught up to him and rammed into him before he could go five steps. He struggled at first, but Jess was at least a year older and much stronger; he didn't stand a chance. Within a minute, she had him in a solid arm-lock.

"Lemme go-let-wha the hell d-ya think ya are!" The boy screamed into the dry grass.

"Who do you think you are?" Jess had lost whatever little patience she had with the boy. She jerked his arm upward slightly earning a yelp of pain from the pathetic life form in her grasp. "You think you can hit that girl, you ain't gonna touch her again if-"

"What you on?" the boy spat and lifted his head painfully above the ground to obtain semi-normal speech. "She my lil' sis, I aint ouch a 'air on her head-and you aint got no right bargin' in like you did-"

"Shut up, you little-"

Jess was cut short by a small voice behind her.

"Please miss, don't hurt him"

Jess jerked around to see the little girl, small and tear-stained cheeks facing her. Seeing her up close, Jess could clearly see small bruises here and there upon her arms and neck. She had a cut on her brow (Jess was pretty sure that hadn't been there when she had been watching them from the square), and a blood trail from the cut down her cheek to match the tears.

Suddenly all her fuel, her anger, her rage was gone. This girl looked so small and delicate and hurt, Jess couldn't bear to have her watch as another act of hostility played out in front of her.

So, without releasing her victim from his arm-lock, Jess slowly rose off the ground guiding the boy with her. She ignored his complaints about his arm hurting; Jess didn't take her eyes off the girl.

"What's your name?"

When the girl didn't respond, her _brother _decided to speak for her: "Her name's Angie an' my name's Trevor, we're Radleys-"

Jess cut him off with a sudden jerk of his already sore arm. "I thought I told you to shut up," Jess turned back to the girl, "Angie? Is that you name?"

The girl seemed to struggle for a moment, unsure as to whether or not she should speak. She looked from Trevor to Jess, clearly afraid.

"It's okay, he's not going to hurt you, I got him tight here, he can't move. My names Jessica, but you can call me Jess. Is it okay if I call you Angie?"

"M-my name's A-Angela" she stuttered.

"Okay Angela, tell me how old you are."

"S-seven, Jess"

"Do you know where the town plaza is?" Angela nodded "okay can you go there and get me some help? Do you know what Sam looks like? And Edilio?" two nods "okay can you go and get one of them for me? I know they are there now, eating."

"Okay b-but..."

"What's wrong Angela?"

"Are you gonna hurt Trev?" The question caught Jess off guard. This boy had been hitting her, from the looks of things; he had gotten away with it for a long time. How could she care for him like this? Why? Jess sighed and said:"I won't hurt him. I'll let Sam and his little court will decide what to do with him."

Angela nodded and ran back into the house. Jess could hear the front door open and close. Trevor, thinking she was distracted, tried to break free of Jess and put up quite the struggle and actually managed to kick Jess in the chin. Now that didn't hurt that much, but the little punk would learn his lesson all right. As soon as she had him controlled again she pulled him close, tightening his arm lock.

"you're going to wish you'd never done that" She pulled upward on her arm-lock, twisted a little and pulled back. She felt and heard the snap of his arm breaking. He screamed and cried for her to stop and let him go but he wasn't trying to run anymore. He sunk to the ground a sobbing, pathetic mass. Jess knelt down beside him and whispered in his ear: "Now you've gotten what you deserve, I'll let the court deal out the legal punishment. I'll tell you this: never will you lay hand on Angela again as long as I breathe. You even try...I will kill you."

**Next chapter we'll see more characters from the book, Sam, Edilio, and a few others. Please tell me what you think, I'm a big girl, I can take constructive criticism. **


	3. Chapter 3

**So first I want to say thank you for all those amazing reviews. Reading your thoughts is always such a treat, please continue**

**Longest chapter so far. Who else loves Edilio? I do**

**I still don't own GONE. Michael Grant is still a genius. PLEASE R and R**

**Okay so, chapter three**

**Chapter three: Heroes, Councils and Attraction. **

"_I didn't mean to break his arm"_ Jess was saying to "The Supreme FAYZ Council", "He was trying to run and there was a struggle. It was an accident."

"Okay, we believe you on that," Astrid was doing all the talking, but also present was Sam and Edilio. The rest of their little band of misfit toys was either unavailable or unneeded for a simple matter of household abuse. They were in a conference room at the town hall, all sitting around a big round table in swivel chairs. So far they had just asked her questions as a witness, and the most effort Jess had to put into anything was trying not to laugh. This 'council' worked alright, it was just unexplainably funny how these kids, who were a few weeks older that Jess at the most, acted as the supreme justice. Astrid in particular; from her observations in the street, Jess always got the impression she held herself above other kids in the FAYZ. Jess never thought highly of her anyhow, maybe because Astrid had everything Jess never did. Before the FAYZ, Astrid had come from a reasonably well off family, she had brains enough for three and had managed to snag one of the cutest boys in the FAYZ. Not that Jess was into Sam or anything, I mean, surfer, popular, _so _not her type.

Astrid took some time to write down something on her clipboard, then turned back to Jess, "you say Trevor Radley was hitting his sister, are you sure of that? Did you see it happening?"

Jess' pulse quickened slightly, but she maintained her composure. She didn't want the hero-squad to know about her power, she didn't want anyone to know. "I heard her scream from outside, I was walking towards the plaza, I live in the house next to theirs." Jess was fast getting tired of this, and from the looks of things so was Sam, who was staring aimlessly at the table. Astrid seemed unaware of her boyfriend's lack of interest.

It was Edilio who made Jess nervous. He looked at her his face was unreadable. Jess didn't like it when people stared at her, it made her feel uneasy. She was the one could see through walls, she was the one who did the watching. When people stared at her, Jess felt vulnerable.

Jess caught herself staring back at him, for the briefest of moments, their eyes met. He quickly looked away, however, and Jess found herself a little disappointed, she didn't know why.

Edilio was quite good-looking, Jess had never noticed before. His thick black hair fell in soft curls around a perfectly shaped face. His smooth tanned skin complimented intense dark eyes and-

Jess was woken from her reverie by Astrid angrily jabbing her paper. Everyone in the quiet conference room suddenly looked at Astrid. From the looks of things, Astrid showing signs of violent behaviour was unheard of. She looked up and blushed slightly, looking embarrassed.

"What did the paper ever do to you?" Sam asked, smirking.

"We don't have enough evidence" Astrid said, shooting Sam an annoyed look. "All we have here is a scream and some bruises. Both off which can be explained off..."

Jess couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So what, you're going to do nothing? You can't send her back with her brother, you just can't"

Astrid looked very angry about being questioned like this, "I didn't say we were going to do nothing. We're going to do whatever we can to protect Angela, What I'm saying is that we can't charge abuse on a person with only circumstantial evidence. Especially when he refuses to confess,"

"You expect that little punk to _confess?_" Jess' voice was rising, "and you want evidence, why don't you go look at that poor girl's face, see all the proof you need!"

"I told you, both Angela and Trevor deny he was hitting her!" Astrid's voice was rising to match Jess'

"And so what, you're going to send them home for him to beat her again?" Jess was shouting now, letting her anger at Astrid get the better of her.

"There's nothing we can do!" Astrid said.

"You're as good as hitting her yourself if you send her back home with her brother!"

"That's enough!" It was Sam's turn to yell.

There was a moment of silence as Astrid and Jess gunned each other off. Jess hated her with every fibre of her being. Jess couldn't stand it in this room anymore. She pushed her chair back and stood, furious. "You act all powerful, you're useless, and you may as well be talking about the weather for all the good you're doing!"

She stormed out of the conference room, couldn't care less whether or not they were done with the questioning. She was so consumed by her frustration that she stomped right into someone turning a corner in the hallway. She heard a yelp as they collided and stumbled back.

"Hey watch it!" Jess yelled; her day just kept getting worse and worse.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry-a-are you okay?" said the person Jess vaguely knew as the computer geek Jack. He seemed to always be slightly nervous and now after Jess had shouted at him he looked so terrified, he probably thought Jess was going to kill him. "It's my fault-I'm s-such a klutz- I just-"

Jess sighed, her temper was cooling down, and she felt bad for making the anti social geek nearly wet himself. "It's okay, really, I'm just not having a very good day."

"Yeah I'm so so sorry, haven't exactly been having the time of my life today either," He said, "They stuck me on babysitting duty for this kid I don't even know, I don't even really like kids but everyone's in the fields today it seems except me and y-you obviously-" The geek kept babbling nervously, Probably not totally convinced that Jess wasn't going to kill him.

"Its okay, Jack right? Don't piss yourself, its okay, really"

Jack looked at her for a moment curiously "H-hey are you Jessica?"

Jess nodded; a little unnerved that he knew her name.

"That girl I'm watching, er Angela I think, she wants to see you"

"Angela? Where is she?" Jess had been wondering where Angela was, she wanted to make sure she was alright so Jack showed Angela to a small office at the end of the hallway. The office had light blue walls and had been cleared of all furniture except for an orange floral love seat and a small table on which was a glass of untouched water. Angela was sitting on the love seat; she looked up at Jess when she and Jack entered the room.

Her blond hair was dirty and hung in tangled waves past her shoulders. She had been cleaned up somewhat, tears and blood gone. A pink Hello, Kitty band-aid marked the spot of the cut on her brow. She smiled a sad, sweet smile as Jess came in.

"Hey Angela"

"Hi, Jess"

"How are you doing?"

Angela quivered, and then out of nowhere, she burst into tears. Jess panicked and exchanged glances with computer Jack, who had turned pale and started sweating. Jess made a mental note never to recommend Jack as a babysitter and turned back to Angela.

Jess went to sit beside the sobbing girl; she put her arm around her shoulders, very unsure about what to do. "Hey there, it's alright, no one's going to hurt you, I promise,"

"I-I'm scared" She sobbed.

"It's going to be okay" Jess wanted her to stop crying, it was breaking her heart. "I promise you, everything will be fine,"

"I-I don't w-want them hurt-t-ing my brother..."

Again Jess was taken aback by this little girls love for a brother who treated her so poorly, but Jess didn't say anything about her surprise, afraid that anything she said would cause more crying. Angela had started to hic-up between sobs and it was more than Jess could take. "Hush now Angela, it's going to be okay, I promise you won't let anything happen to Trevor"

"Y-You promise?" Angela asked shakily, her sobs had begun to ebb away.

"Yeah, I promise" Jess turned to Computer Jack who was staring at Jess, his face wild with shock and awe. She nodded to him signalling that she had it covered. Relief flooded his face and he left.

"Hey Angie, is it okay if I ask you something?" Angela hiccupped and nodded "why would someone hurt Trevor?"

"B-because, sometimes we fight. We've always fought, it's just that...mommy used to stop us before we got hurt a-and...Mommy's not here now and...I miss mommy so much but Trevor says I'm being a baby for missin' her but he does too but he likes to act tough and says he's the man uh the house now that mommy and daddy are gone. I don't want him as a daddy, I tell him that and he gets mad a-a-and-" Angela le out another sob giving Jess a pretty good idea of the rest of the story.

"Angie, that bad. He can't do this anymore, I can't let him," Jess noticed Angela looking up at her with a scared face. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him, but you have to tell Sam what Trevor's been doing"

"NO!" Angela shrieked, "They'll hurt him! They'll take him away from me! I don't wanna be alone!"

"Angie, its okay calm down, you won't live alone!" Jess soothed the little girl by holding her close, whispering in her ear, "I promise you won't live alone, you won't. Sam will set you up with another house, with other people. You'll be okay."

"I don't want to live with strangers" Angie said into Jess' shoulder

"Angie, you can't live with Trevor anymore. I know it's going to be hard, but you need to tell Sam the truth about Trevor. Then we'll decide what to do. One step at a time"

"Why?" Angie asked "Why would I tell on him when I know he'll get into trouble?"

It seemed like a thousand reasons flooded into Jess' mind at this question. But she simply pulled away from Angie and looked the little girl in the eyes and said:

"Because, Angela, it's the right thing to do,"

And that's the way things worked out. Angela told the 'council' the truth about her brother, Trevor, who was sentenced to a month in exile from Perdido Beach and a 25 yard restraining order from Angie was put into effect. Jess felt good about this, that little punk would have a nice long timeout (Jess relished in the thought of him trying to survive in the wilderness with only one arm) and Angie would be safe from him even when he got back. It seemed like the dust was settling and Jess was so ready for this crazy day to end, all she wanted to do was fall into her bed and never wake up.

She was at the bottom of the city hall steps wondering if she had any food in her house when she heard him.

"Hey, Jess,"

Jess turned around to see Edilio walking down the steps towards her. It was dark out, but somehow the poor visibility just added to the attraction. Jess mentally reprimanded herself for thinking of him that way. "Hey yourself," she said back and waited for him at the bottom of the steps.

"There's something I need to run by you," he said when he reached her. Jess was lightly disappointed that he was here on business but then again, why else would he be here? "That girl, Angela, she wanted me to ask you something for her, she said you can say no if you want, but she wants you to consider it,"

Jess smiled and said "okay, what it is?"

"She wants to know if you would maybe let her live with you," he said simply, then added "She said that she wouldn't be any trouble, that she'd stay out of your way and clean for you. To be honest, I think she's gotten quite attached to her hero,"

Jess was shocked; she didn't know what to say at first, "her...hero?"

"You did save her from her brother," Edilio slid his hands into his pockets and smiled a, er, rather beautiful smile at Jess. "You're her knight in shining armour,"

They both laughed, Jess finding she was enjoying Edilio's company a lot.

"I'm sorry about losing my temper in your council meeting thing,"

"It's okay," He said "to tell the truth you said all the things that I was thinking at that moment. I mean, what kind of council would we be if we could give help to those who need it, right?"

"I'm sure you do all you can,"

"We try,"

There was a pause. Jess suddenly didn't feel so tired anymore. She wanted to stay here and talk with this guy, this feeling was new to her and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Sorry I got Astrid all pissed like that," it was the only thing Jess could think of to say at the moment.

Edilio suddenly burst into laughter, apparently thinking Jess' last comment was hysterical for some reason. "T-that takes skill. I've never seen Astrid so riled up before!" he said, still smiling.

Jess started laughing too, though she wasn't sure of why at this point. They both laughed for a moment, enjoying life in the here and now. Jess was sure this was the most she'd laughed and enjoyed herself in six long months.

"You know what?" Jess asked Edilio once they had stopped laughing, "I think I'd like Angela to come live with me,"

Edilio just smiled and said, "I knew you'd say yes. Well come on, let's not keep her waiting."

So they went back into the city hall together and found Angela, who was overjoyed by Jess' agreeing to take her in. Jess let Angie sleep in her room while she slept in her mother's old one. Jess liked to have someone in her house besides herself; it gave her a reason to get up in the morning, and to come home at night. Angie kept to her word, being of little disturbance to Jess, in fact, Angie made days in the FAYZ all that much better.

There was another thing that made Jess feel better, another thing that never failed to make her smile, and although Jess would be the last one to admit it, there was no denying that she was falling for Edilio...

_I wish I could say that this was happily ever after for our girl, but come one, this is the FAYZ we're stuck in. Here is the place of mutant children and cannibals. Here there is no happily ever after, it's just...after. There will be many trials and tests for our candidates, and they will not leave the way they entered, At least not if I have anything to do with it. You know who I am, you think I am dead, but it'll take more than a few tanks of gasoline to kill me. I reside in all those I've touched, and I will not rest until I have control of my lab rats again...You are but marionettes on my stage, and this is one show you don't want to miss. Nemesis will pay, if I have to go through every single one of my human bullets to get to him, Nemesis will pay..._

**Next chapter, we get an exclusive look at the FAYZ's black market, a scary power, and lets just say...someone's gonna get hurt ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**YAY! This chapter proved most difficult to write, many versions were scrapped and yadda yadda but the important thing is that IT'S UP! I hope you like it, and I really hope you review. **

**I can't tell you how much I appreciate the reviews, it's nice to know people are reading what I write, keep them coming **

**Once upon a time, there was a chapter that refused to end. Yes, this chapter is long, and there will will a part 2...dunno when tho**

**Chapter Four: Cold As Ice (part one)**

It was Jess' favourite spot to sit and watch. Halfway up the church steps, right in the center, you could see the entire plaza. The day care center, the McDonalds, and, if you craned your neck, the front of the firehouse, were all within your view. It was almost in the center of town, which meant that to Jess, who could see through walls and zoom in her vision like a telescope, most of the houses in Perdido Beach were within her view. There was a limit to how far she could see though, if she tried looking too far, she would get dizzy, lightheaded. One time before the FAYZ came, she had tried to see her mother work at the McDonald's from her house. It was too far and she had actually blacked out.

But the church steps had another location plus to it, it was situated right next to the city hall. From her spot, Jess could see inside of the city hall, and all its occupants. But there was only one occupant that interested her, and that was a certain cute, Hispanic town sheriff.

Yesterday-completely by accident, of course-Jess and Edilio found themselves standing beside each other in line for WTF (What's The Fish). They ended up talking and eating in close proximity to each other. Jess got the feeling that it was more like friends chatting to make a disgusting meal more bearable, but with Edilio near, Jess could barely taste her food. It had only been 6 days since they'd really met and in that time, they'd become friends, but Jess knew it from the moment she first really laid eyes on him that she wanted more. Another secret, like her power, and Jess didn't have any plans to reveal either in the near future.

There was power in secrets, a safe feeling you got when all the things that were important to you were locked up in a place no one could reach. Locked up in the safe in your head. But some secrets weighed on you, like bricks in your mind. You want to release your hold, but the fear of what will happen if you do keeps you gripping them tight.

She just wanted to see him again, so she stared right at the wall of the city hall. The wall almost disappeared from her view as she saw past the bricks and mortar into the inside. The outside wall remained a faint shadow as she saw a few kids walking down a hallway. She vaguely registered these kids as members of Edilio's 'army', but they were of no interest to her. She looked past another layer of drywall, insulation and two by fours to find what she was looking for. Sherriff's office.

Edilio was reading something on a piece of paper, he looked tired, worn. She was him rubbing his eyes, looking wearily at the piece of paper which no doubt held a list of things he was supposed to take care of. The job of Sherriff took so much time and effort, Jess felt admiration for the task which he underwent every day.

Jess was startled out of her skin by someone tapping on her arm. As quick as she could, she returned her sight to her location. Jess was relieved to see it was just Angela.

"Hey, Jess"

"Hey yourself, you scared me half to death" Jess replied.

"Daydreaming, again?" Angela had been living with Jess for a little less than a week now, and Jess had been quite surprised at just how easy it had been for the both of them. "There's someone in town looking for you, Jess"

Jess' eyes narrowed, not many people in the FAYZ knew her aside for those who she'd helped fixing their houses. Even then, if they didn't ask her name, she didn't tell it. But there was one person who knew her, one person who about what Jess could do...

"Who was it?" Jess asked Angela.

"She had kind of redy-brown hair. She's about thirteen, I think" Angela described. To Jess it sounded a lot like the person with the power to change Jess' life forever, the person who Jess had been trapped in the same house as Jess when Zil Perry and the human crew had ravaged through Perdido Beach.

"Angela, did you catch a name?" Jess was worried.

"I think it was Sara"

Jess' heart dropped. The way she saw it was that the less she saw of Sara, the better. There was too reasons why Jess felt this way.

One was that Sara knew about Jess' power. She was the only person in the FAYZ, the entire world, come to think about it, who knew. It was Jess' most guarded secret and Sara knew it.

And the second reason, Sara had a power of her own. Like Jess, Sara wished to keep her power a secret to avoid the endless madness and discrimination and fear that came with being 'special'. But Sara's power was much more powerful than Jess', much more destructive and dangerous and...Unstable. Jess had seen it work before, by accident, that night the human crew terrorized Perdido Beach, and she had no wish to see it again.

"Okay Angela, you need to show me exactly where she is, can you do that?" Jess asked.

"Sure, she was in the plaza over there, like standing beside the McDonald's" Sara pointed to a small figure leaning against the side of the run down McDonald's. It was Sara; Jess surveyed her for a moment first, using her power. Her red brown hair was hanging limp in the windless air, she had dark circles around her eyes and she was biting her lip nervously.

Jess got up from her spot and made her way through the kids of the FAYZ to the McDonald's. It was almost twelve, and the plaza was crowded with kids mingling over whatever they could scrounge up for a meal.

Sara looked up at Jess, she would be 5'4" if she was lucky, Jess was nearly 5'8", but they surveyed each other as equals. Sara seemed relieved when Jess arrived; she loosened up her tightly folded arms and let the edges of her lips rise slightly. Jess had yet to catch her actually smiling.

"It's been a long time," Sara said.

"You do well to keep out of sight" Jess replied, "I've maybe spotted you twice in the last four months"

"I try," Sara said. "I heard you took in a little, surprised me, you know, you seem more like a loner than a substitute mother."

"She's pretty low maintenance" Jess replied, and then she smiled at Sara and said, "And Sara, you know I'll always be a loner."

Sara nodded agreeing. Then she looked at the ground, an anxious look playing across her face as she said, "Jess I need your help with something,"

"_Something?"_ Jess asked. "Something to do with...?"

"Yeah, I lost it Jess. I was scared I..." Sara's eyes filled with plead, "Please Jess, you're the only one who knows about me, and I know you can keep a secret."

"Okay" Jess agreed. She wasn't sure if she could call Sara a friend by the traditional Wiktionary definition, but they shared something in common. They trusted each other, they had no other choice.

Sara led Jess back through the streets of Perdido Beach, towards a house on the outskirts of town. It was a relatively small home, but reasonably well kept considering most houses now had little intact glass and maybe a few bullet holes. Sara stopped just before the front door, turned to face Jess and said, "I need your word you will not tell anyone about this. If you do, you know what I'll do, I'll tell, you know I won't hesitate-"

"Sara! What is in there?" Jess asked, starting to get a very bad feeling about this.

"Your word!"

"Okay! You have my word Sara; just tell me what the hell in there?"

"I can't explain it, okay? You just have to see it"

Jess knew exactly what she meant as soon as she opened up that door. There was no words she could think of to say to what she saw, she could only stand and stare dumbfounded at the wonder.

"I was scared," Sara said, "There was someone in my house, a looter. That kid who is always stealing but never gets caught, Michael I think, and he had a gun he...I didn't mean to I just lost all control-you know how it gets when I'm scared it just...goes..."

Jess found her voice again, "Sara, where is Michael now?"

"He's in _there" _

"He's trapped then"

"Yeah, pretty much,"

Jess, very carefully placed on foot on the threshold, and surveyed the scene before her. Jess had seen some strange things since the beginning of the FAYZ, disturbing mutations, horrible outcomes of kids pushed to the edge of reason. _This _was something else.

Sara's house entrance had a divided staircase, half which lead to the main area, the other half lead to the basement. At the bottom of the basement segment of the stairs, there was a door. The walls surrounding the bottom segment of the stairs were usually a tasteful shade of olive, now they bore a new color. White. Frosted. Frozen. It looked like the inside of a deep freeze, sparkling with _ice_. It was unimaginably cold; Jess was standing five feet away from the start of the frost and instantly felt chilly in comparison to the warm May Day outside.

This was the reason why Jess felt nervous about Sara, not because she was a bad person, far from it; it was because of what these powers could do when the wielder was frightened. Powers like Sara's, the power to instantly freeze anything she touches solid. Jess was sure of the fact that if Sara was ever evaluated by Diana, she would be a four bar. Jess could see a handprint, frozen into the wall to her right that must have been where Sara was touching the wall. From there the frost continued down the staircase to the door which leads to the basement. The door was frozen too.

"Michael, he ran down there when he saw what I was doing. There's no way out of the basement, Jess, he's still down there. That's why I needed you,"

Jess only nodded. A boy, looter or not, was trapped inside. It must have been so cold down there now, Jess thought.

"I'll check to see if he's o-"

"_You freak! I'll kill you, you hear me?"_

Sara and Jess exchanged glances.

"Yeah, _he's _fine, alright" Sara said, not trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. "Maybe that'll teach you, you thieving, pathetic-!"

"Sara," Jess cautioned.

"What?"

"Why did you ask me here? There's no way he's not going to tell everyone about you the second he's out."

Sara let out a strangled breath and for the first time Jess could see exactly what she was thinking. "I know but maybe when we let him out we can reason with him, maybe we can work something out,"

"That's like, a million to one chance, Sara"

"Yeah, maybe, but you know what Jess? It's the only one I've got right now, and I'm taking it. Now do I have your help or not?"

Jess nodded, "You know you do, Sara,"

In the FAYZ, if you had need of equipment of any kind, you had two options. You could either find someone who already had what you wanted and barter with them, or you could go to Howard. Howard was always for the profit, taking advantage of the needs of others. Now he ran a completely under the radar black market that dealt with...less than approved of materials. Not many people knew about it, Jess was surprised at how long it had survived without getting the attention of Sam and the others. Howard was a real slime, granted, but he was smart in the ways of procuring things others are willing pay through the nose to get. Marijuana, hard liquor, weapons. Howard sold all these things in a market in his backyard every afternoon at three P.M. For those who knew about it, it was a goldmine. And Jess knew about it, not because she was a junkie or a thief or anything, but because Howard needed to replenish his supplies. He had a scam; he would get one of his cronies to distract someone while he raided their house for anything he could sell. Stupid scum thought he could pull that on Jess, one look with her super-vision clued her in. Jess and Howard had made a deal, she gave him her mother's stash of pot, and in return, he did something for her.

That was where she was now, in Howard's backyard, with Sara, in need of something.

"Jess-I-ca Bennett" Howard walked towards her, swaggering slightly, like a power hungry ape.

"Howard" Jess replied. "I need something"

"'Course, you do, why else would you be here?" Howard said, smiling a cocky smile, "Unless what you need isn't, you know, a material..." Howard's smile widened, he let out a piggish laugh.

"In your dreams, Howard, I need something, and you're going to get it for me," Jess said, not the slightest bit rattled by Howard's advances. Howard had been trying to get with Jess since their first encounter.

"Am I?" Howard countered.

Jess nodded. She knew how deal with this dog. She pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to him and said "You can get me these things, right?"

"Whoa!" Howard exclaimed as he read the list, he eyes Jess suspiciously. "Who's the poor soul you're gonna bash about?"

"For a black market runner, you ask a lot of questions, Howard," Jess said, "do you have it or not?"

"I might just, come in the back with me and we'll see," He said, gesturing to the door that lead to his garage. Jess started to follow him, but he turned around sharply facing Sara and sneered "I don't believe we've been acquainted long enough for me to let you into the garage yet, sweetheart. We have a...policy here against showing the general population our entire stock. But if you want to get acquainted, I'm sure we could work something out-"

"Move it, Howard," Jess said, shoving a chuckling Howard forward not too gently.

"Easy peesy lemon squeezy, I's just teasing," He said as they entered the garage alone.

"Not the wisest move, take my word for it, now about the order,"

Howard grinned a sluggish grin before retreating into the piles of junk behind him, shuffling through random garden equipment and makeshift weapons. "Ah, here we are!" Howard exclaimed with triumph as he emerged from the mess. He brought with him a rail spike and a sledge hammer. "You know whoever your planning on beating up, I feel for them,"

"For the record, it's for construction," Jess said as she reached into her pockets for her money. Buying from Howard wasn't cheap, but sledge hammers where hard to come by in the FAYZ since most of the ready-made weapons had been claimed months ago.

"How much?"

"Well, I'd say hmmm about, 5 Bertos apiece,"

Jess counted her money, mentally cursing Howard in every way she knew. "I can pay you seven now, three next week,"

"I don't think so, Beautiful, cash up front, at time of purchase, you know the drill," Howard's grin widened as he shook his head. He laid the materials he was holding on the ground and stepped over them to Jess. "Awe, don't fret, Gorgeous, I'm sure you can think of several ways to convince me to forget about your lack of monetary payment..."

Jess was thoroughly disgusted as he took another step towards her, closing the gap between them. He laid his hands on her hips. Jess actually found herself smiling, not out of pleasure, but out of astonishment of Howard's sheer stupidity.

"it just so happens there's something I want, have wanted it for a long time...I'm goin to get it" Howard whispered.

"Oh, yeah?" Jess countered.

Jess put all her strength in her knee, bringing it up right between Howard's legs. He screamed and doubled down in pain, Jess wasted no time. She kicked him with her already raised leg, and he fell to the floor, whimpering in pain. She knelt beside him, pushed him onto his back and got on top of him, although in a very different way than he had hoped. She raised a fist up, brought it down hard. She felt a satisfying pain in her knuckles as they made contact with his nose. He screamed harder, blood running from his nose like Niagara Falls. She none to gently pressed her thumb on his nose, he buckled and squirmed harder underneath her.

"Think I broke it," Jess breathed in his ear, "I don't know, what do you think?"

Howard whimpered, "Bitch, I'll kill you...I'll-I'll get you for this, I promise,"

"I look forward to that, but until then, you're not going to touch me, so much as look at me that way ever, understand?"

Howard laughed, or tried to, but all that came was a gurgled choke. "You know Jessica, we're really not that different deep down, we're both just touchy, pathetic loners with daddy issues. You'll see it one day, and you'll wish you didn't do this," He gasped.

Jess clenched her teeth, got up and picked up the tools. Before she left she dropped the seven gold bullets at Howard, who was still lying on the floor recuperating. "I keep my promises, Howard; I'll come by next week to give you the other three,"

"I keep my promises too, Jessica Bennett, I promise you will pay for this!"

Jess found Sara outside, standing exactly where she'd left her. She nodded seeing Jess was carrying the tools they needed.

"I heard a scream, sounded like Howard. I would have come in but I was afraid of making things worse with my..." Sara trailed off.

"It's okay. I want to thank you Sara" Jess said.

"Why?"

"Because since the moment I met Howard, I've been looking for an excuse to punch his face in, that kid sells drugs to ten year olds, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way about him. As it turns out, this day isn't half as bad as I thought it would be," Jess explained, smiling. She caught it there; a smile on Sara's face, the look almost seemed unnatural, but genuine nonetheless.

Back at Sara's house, Jess had everything she needed to get into the frozen door. Michael would starve before this thing melted, but breaking in wasn't going to be an easy task. She was equipped with a rail spike and a sledge hammer held in glove clad hands. She was accompanied by Sara, whose tiny frame could barely hold the sledge hammer, let alone use it, but Jess was grateful for the company. This frozen stairway was an eerie place indeed.

She raised the spike, and used her strength to bury it in the crack between the door and the frame as deep as possible, which wasn't far, but it held there. She then raised the sledge hammer, and swung at the spike with all her strength. She continued like this for a while, she figured her best bet would be to separate the door from its frame, however frozen it was. But she soon got tired, Sara offered some water and they retreated upstairs.

They sat at her eat in kitchen table, her house having a updated 60's look to it, Jess figured it once belonged to some old lady, with the Hummel figurines in the glass cabinet.

"So, you have a boyfriend?"

The question caught Jess so off guard, she almost choked on her water. Jess was less than used to talking about this kind of stuff to others, so she just shook her head.

Sara shrugged, Jess' discomfort of the subject was apparently quite apparent. "Just trying to make conversation," A rather awkward ten seconds passed.

"But you like someone, right?"

"What's it to you?" Jess said, trying not to sound defensive.

"I figure, you're helping me with something, and I want you to be doing it for something other than fear that I'll tell everyone about your power-"

"That's not just why I'm helping you Sara,"

"I know, and I just figure that giving you some advice may be the only way I can help you out in return, so spill,"

Jess sighed before saying, "I like this guy, but he didn't even know I was breathing until last week."

"Uh huh," Sara seemed to consider Jess for about a minute. "I'll give you some advice,"

"That was the bargain," Jess said wryly.

"Life in the FAYZ had taught me many things, Jess," Sara said, "And one of them is that life is short, especially in here. And we waste time being afraid of consequences and outcomes. All that really matters in the FAYZ is the here and now, 'cause we really could be dead tomorrow, and all our secrets die with us if we do. "

"Yeah, like we're ones to talk about sharing our secrets"

"We keep our powers secret to protect ourselves," She argued.

"I keep all my secrets to protect myself" Jess countered.

Sara only shrugged. "It's your life. You have my advice...So, chick-flick moment over?"

"Absolutely," Jess agreed, getting up again.

As Jess began work on the door again, she noticed it coming loose from the frame, but parts were still frozen stuck. It took a couple more swings of the sledge hammer, placing the rail spike in different locations, but finally, the door was free of its ice prison. Jess grabbed a cloth that Sara retrieved for her; certain that any flesh exposed to the door would get stuck. She motioned for Sara to stand back, and she pulled as hard as she could on the door. The hinges snapped off and the door fell forward with a deafening thud.

Jess peered into the opening, curious about why Michael had been so quiet.

"Michael?" Jess called. "It's okay, we're not going to, er, hurt you. We just want to talk; we can work something out,"

Sara stepped along the door to the opening to be side by side with Jess, peering into the basement.

"STAY RIGH THERE!" That must have been Michael, he screamed at them from around the corner, but he soon made himself visible, he was holding a handgun.

A handgun pointed at them.

Jess' heart raced, eyes widened.

"Drop that!" Michael screamed; his eyes were wild with a mixture of fury and fear.

Jess looked down, found she was still holding the rail spike, but she dropped it, raising her hands in front of her. She took a few quick breaths, and stole a glance at Sara. When she did, she found herself ten times more terrified. The fear gripped her like a raging animal clawing at her guts.

Sara was visibly shaking, like she was trying to hold something back, sweat was rolling off her forehead. Jess knew what happened when Sara got scared...

Jess found her voice; she had to do something before they became frozen meat. "Michael, you need to put the gun down,"

"To hell I do, if you do anything, I'll kill you!"

"You don't understand," Jess said exasperatedly, "You will die if you don't put the gun down. Sara! You need to control it! You need to stop!"

Sara's hands were starting to turn blue, she looked at them with terror, her fear of herself was just adding to the emotion which could kill them all.

Michael noticed Sara's hands too, "Make her stop that, make her stop!"

"Sara, you need to calm down!"

Sara burst, "I can't! I can't! I-Leave! Get away from me!"

Jess backed up, and then realized that Michael was trapped with Sara in the way of him and the door.

"Michael, you need to put the gun down, and slowly walk around her," Jess tried,

"I'm not putting anything down! You better stop that, or, I'll-I'll, I start shooting!"

Sara suddenly screamed. She couldn't hold her power back much longer; her hands were producing a cold which Jess could feel.

One gunshot.

It hit its target.

Jess fell back against the stairs, winded and loosing blood...

TO BE CONTINUED...

**So the whole Howard's black market thing was a last minute addition. Yay or nay? as always let me know what you think **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the seemingly never ending wait for this update, truth is I lost interest in this story and began a knew one. I am much happier with the other one, actually but my personality won't let me leave this one unfinished. I. Must. Finish. Story. lol**

**THANKS TO THE REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ROCK! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own GONE. I Don't own any of the characters. although there are a couple I'd like to borrow for the night...**

**Chapter 5: Cold as Ice – Part Two. **

Edilio walked the lonely and battered streets of Perdido Beach. He was armed with a pistol and a knife in his belt, and an extra knife tucked safely in his sock. He had heard that Boy Scouts motto before. "Always be prepared". If that were true, Edilio, sheriff of Perdido Beach, would be the ultimate Bout Scout. Edilio was always prepared, for every situation he could foresee. And in the FAYZ, being prepared could mean your life.

Today had been unusually calm, however. So he had left the city hall early and was enjoying a walk (more like patrol) through the town which he was responsible for. His hand never left his nine millimetre pistol, experience having turned him paranoid. To be expected, he guessed, and he was sure he wasn't the only one.

He let his mind wander over various topics. Problems, mostly. Running out of water, food, batteries and gas. Albert's steady rise in power was also a source of concern for Edilio. But this afternoon, Edilio let his mind drift off of the important subjects. He found himself unexpectedly thinking of Jess. She had been on his mind since their run in at the city hall a week ago. It was unusual for Edilio to be thinking of girls, he didn't tend to waste his brain power on those kinds of thoughts. But in this case, he couldn't seem to be rid of her image for long.

Edilio thought of her as the embodiment of hope. Which was irrational considering they had only met barely six days ago. But the way she had stood up for Angela, her words of distaste against their rather ineffectual council...There were few people in the FAYZ with that much humanity in them left. If there were more kids out there with her spirit and resolve, maybe the future didn't have to be so grim. Having her around could only be positive, so Edilio made up his mind right then and there.

He would offer Jess a place on the council. He hoped that she would accept for they needed more people like her if they were going to survive and retain their humanity.

Edilio was yanked from his thoughts by a scream. A pain-filled agonizing scream. Edilio stopped, gripping his gun, ready to draw if necessary. He looked around and found himself to be in one of the less crowded areas along the highway. Mentally scolding himself for not paying attention to where he was walking. That sort of carelessness in the FAYZ could get you killed...or worse.

He waited for the person to scream again to determine his or her location. He hoped it was only a false alarm, nothing too serious.

He heard someone opening a door, close by. He whipped around to see a girl, short with dark copper hair. She stumbled sickly onto the once-green-now-scratchy-brown lawn. Probably drunk, Edilio thought. His suspicions where confirmed by the sudden appearance of her last meal spilling out of her mouth.

Edilio walked towards her, maybe he could help her in some way, convince her not to drink so much in the future...His expectations were not high.

"Hey, you alright there?" Edilio called. He received only a groan from the girl. He was within arm's reach of the girl when he noticed it. Her hands, they were not any normal skin tone. They were blue-white, like ice. Were they frozen? He had never seen anyone with that sort of power, but could he really be surprised at anything anymore?

"Your hands..." He began not quite sure what to say. He firmly held his pistol without drawing it and brought a tone of authority to his voice as he said "What is going on here?"

The girl seemed completely oblivious to Edilio's presence. She started to convulse slightly, her breaths turning into gasps.

_Is she crying? _Edilio wondered. He slowly kneeled next to her, never taking his hand off his gun. She was definitely crying.

"Hey, can you hear me? I asked you what was going on." Edilio said. The girl seemed to be aware of him now, and she mumbled something incoherently. So he repeated himself, telling her to be clearer.

"I-I...I'm a-a m-m-monster, I'm a f-freak, I can't believe I d-d-did..." her words were lost to mumbles again.

Edilio was careful not to touch her, he wasn't sure but he thought he could feel a cold chill wafting off the girl. "Get up, look at me" He wasn't asking her. He got the feeling that she would respond to authority and he was losing his patience. There could be someone hurt right now and sitting here deciphering gibberish was a waste of his time.

She rose from her fetal position slowly, she was shaking pretty badly. But Edilio didn't help her, afraid to touch those cold, icy hands. Her face was traced with tears and her eyes held fear and hysteria.

_Keep it simple, _he told himself.

"What's your name?"

"Sara." She choked.

"Was it you who screamed?"

She nodded.

"Is there other people in that house?"

Another nod.

"Is anyone hurt?"

More tears and one shaky nod.

"What happened?" He asked firmly.

She burst into tears. "I k-killed them-m...I k-k-killed them both..."

Edilio rose from his crouch and ran toward the house, drawing his gun. He mentally braced himself for whatever he might find inside. He hoped that it wasn't too serious. He wished with every fibre of his existence that he would not have to dig a grave in the courtyard tonight. He prayed that for just once, he would draw the right straw and have some luck for a change.

But this was the FAYZ he was trapped in, and in the FAYZ, the short straws where drawn far too often.

Edilio cocked his gun when he reached the door. He cautiously pushed the door open with his free hand, trying to anticipate any possibility.

Despite all his precautions, Edilio did not expect to find what he did. He did not expect to see the walls, floors, and ceiling frozen. Tendrils of chilled mist floated near the surfaces giving the impression off a walk-in freezer.

He did not expect to see a boy, standing there, frozen solid, mid-pose. This boy had a gun in his hand, poised out in front of him. He wore an expression of great fear. Edilio found it difficult to even look at the boy, frozen like a human popsicle. It was a horrible spectacle. Another to add to the great many Edilio had in his mind.

But something he had expected was kids injured. He had hoped none would be dead, but here he was, staring at the proof that you must never hope in the FAYZ.

Something caught his eye. Blood. Strange, this boy was frozen, shouldn't his blood be too? There was a large blood stain on the ground, half obscured by debris from a broken door. Wait, was that an...arm?

Edilio rushed towards the blood, almost slipping on the frozen stairs. He shoved debris out of the way as he looked in horror at his findings.

This was something he could never anticipate.

Jess. It was her arm he'd seen. She was shot in the shoulder, her shirt soaked in crimson fluid. Edilio's heart stopped.

"Jess! Jess, wake up, please!" Edilio shook her with one hand while pressing his other hand against her wound, hoping to slow down the bleeding. But she had already lost much blood. He hoped that the cold environment had slowed the bleeding process. Maybe it was a contributing factor in the fact that her shoulder didn't sem to be bleeding at the moment.

Edilio's spirits rose.

Maybe he wouldn't have to dig two graves today.

He needed her not to be dead. For the council of course.

And he didn't want her to die.

"Jess, please say something!"

Jess stirred. She felt heavy like a ton of bricks lay on her chest. She didn't want to open her eyes, they too were heavy.

Was someone...calling her? She vaguely heard someone with a familiar voice calling her name, with urgently too. But that didn't matter, she wanted to stay asleep.

The person was shaking her now. It was quite annoying. Couldn't whoever it was see she wanted to sleep? Her mind felt too groggy for any sort of thinking proccess. Including waking up.

Why was she so cold? Her mind registered that but...

Jess tried now, to pull herself into consciousness. It was hard, and it took a few minutes, but she finally woke to the sound of a boy.

Not just any boy.

Edilio.

But why was Edilio here? Wait, where is here? And why the hell did her shoulder hurt to damn much? Why was someone pushing down on her shoulder? Couldn't they see it was hurting?

The questions became too much, Jess opened her eyes.

Edilio was crouching next to here, he looked so worried. Why was he worried? Jess wanted for him to never be worried, for her to kiss the worried look right off his beautifully tanned face and...

Her shoulder exploded in pain. It was so bad, so intense. Jess forced herself to look at it. The shoulder was covered in blood which obscured the wound itself, but left much to imagination. The blood soaked through her shirt making her cold.

"Wuzgoinon?" Jess murmured.

"I was hoping you could tell me, your shot Jess, do you remember?" He said, he didn't take his hand off her wound.

The memories came flooding back as Jess awakened. Michael, Sara, the gun, her power...

"Sara!" Jess tried to get up but Edilio stopped her. It didn't take much force on his part, she was very weak from loss of blood.

"She's fine, she's outside. Although she knows she killed the boy. She thinks she killed you, Jess please tell me what's going on,"

"I came here, I mean, Sara brought me here to open the door. Michael was trapped and..." Something Edilio had said was just beginning to register with her. Did he say Sara killed a boy? Was Michael dead? "Where's Michael?"

Edilio looked at something Jess couldn't see. Jess struggled to get up, giving Edilio a cold glare when he tried to keep her down. He sighed and helped her into a sitting posistion. She replaced his hand on her shoulder with her own, sad for a momont from the loss of contact. Now wasn't the time for that, Jess told herself.

Jess saw Michael and looked away. She had seen Sara's power before. She had seen the effects of it when she lost control. She had never seen it affect another person. Michael was definetly dead, and for someone to die like that was...horrible. She willed her tears to stay in her eyes as they threatened to break loose.

"Where's Sara?" Jess asked, afraid for her friend. She must be hysterical.

"She's in the front yard,"

Suddenly it all became so clear. Sara had killed a kid. With her power. Edilio had now seen what that power was. Michael's death would become public knowledge. Edilio was on the council and so was Howard and so many others. If the council knew, it would only be a matter of time before the entire FAYZ knew about the girl would freeze you to stone. It was her worst fear. If the kids in the FAYZ knew about Sara, odds were she'd be beaten to death by the first scared mob.

Unless she could convince Edilio not to tell the council. It was only a sliver of hope but it was all Jess had. Could she convince him? She had to try.

"Edilio...You can't tell anyone..." She was startin to feel lightheaded. Little spot were clouding her vision. Her shoulder hurt like a bitch and she began to feel dizzy.

"Worry about that later, now we need to see Lana."

Jess was only vaguely aware that Edilio was helping her stand. Her legs felt wobbily but she could walk. It was so cold in here, she wanted to get outside to the sun. Was the sun still out?

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"I don't know for sure...not long I think. I heard the boys screams from the road maybe twenty minutes ago." Edilio replied.

He helped her walk out of the house and into the sun. Jess could see Sara sitting on the brown grass. She looked like she was in shock.

"Sara?" Jess knelt beside her friend. Tears rolled down Sara's cheeks as she looked into her companions eyes.

"J-Jess, I'm so sorry...I should have c-controlled it, I should have-" Sara began to mumble incoherently and Jess moved to hug her only friend.

"Shh, I know. You couldn't stop it," Jess didn't know what else to say to her. What else could she say? That everything was all right? It's okay, you didn't mean to kill that boy. No she couldn't say that. Everything was by far not all right, and the only consolation to the weeping bundle in her arms was basically telling her she had no control over what she did. Comforting.

What would happen to her friend now? Would she be banished from Perdido Beach? How would she survive out there, with god knows what for company?

It wasn't her fault. The unfairness of it shook her, she really couldn't control her power. The ice that came from within her was like a force that came with it's own will. Hadn't it been the same with other mutants? All of her questions could be answered by the silent boy standing behind the two girls on the ground.

Slowly Jess detached herself from a sobbing Sara and made her way to Edilio.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, afraid of the answer but more afraid of not knowing.

Edilio's face remained unreadable as he replied, "She murdered someone. Unintentionally, maybe, but it's still murder. She'll be banished."

His face was unemotional, yet Jess was sensing some reluctance to say the words he did, as if he where unsure himself if he believed in them. How strong was his resolve to obey the law here? Would Jess be able to sway him just enough to keep her only friend? She had to try, she had to.

"You don't feel right about this, do you?" She asked timidly.

Edilio seemed to find her question amusing, he raised his eyebrows as he replied, "If I felt right about anything in the FAYZ, I'd question my own sanity."

"But what we do...We have to be better than what the FAYZ will make of us," It was her only shot, but still the chances were slim.

"Just what are you suggesting, Jess?" Edilio asked suspiciously.

"We could...Keep it a secret."

"_What?" _Edilio said incredulously.

"If the council knows, it's as good as everyone knows. You know what will happen if the human crew found out-"

"You can't seriously be asking me to-"

"-They'd find her and kill her like they tried to Hunter!"

For one whole minute, neither of them spoke. Edilio's face was contorted as if he were struggling with himself. He was considering it, maybe...just maybe. He was on the fence, she had to make sure he landed on the right side.

"You know if it's one thing the counsil doesn't get points for, it's discretion. Especially with Howard on it."

"I know, but it still doesn't justify ignoring the law we work so hard to keep."

"We're as good as killing her ourselves if they know."

They stood there for another half a minute. Jess was holding her breath, in more ways than one.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. We'll relocate her to a house outside the town's borders, we'll bury...Michael. That way she get's her punishment and no one has to know."

Jess could have cried she was so happy. Had she been the crying type, that it, which she prided herself on not being. So she settled for flinging her arms around the boy in front of her, pulling him into a grateful hug. It wasn't like her to be very huggy, either, but Jess was feeling too elated and relieved to care.

"Thank you..."

She then regretted her rash decision to hug him when he rather awkwardly patted her back. She withdrew her arms feeling very self-conscious and silly. An intense throb in her shoulder reminded her of her wound, she finced involuntarily.

"Before we do anything, you have to see the healer." His tone was full of finality and right now, Jess didn't dare argue with him. But still, she looked nervously over at Sara, who hadn't seemed be paying any attention to anything Jess and Edilio were saying.

"I'll stay with her."

Jess thought she would explode with gratefulness.

"Look, I owe you. Big time," she said, needing to show her gratitude.

"Just doing my job," He said, she could see the faintest outline of a smile on his lips, "After all, I am the Sheriff."

That made the edges of her lip curl up, she couldn't remember the last time she smiled and actually meant it. She could tell he was trying to cheer her up, and she began to wonder if she would ever repay all that he had done for her in just a few short minutes.

**A/N: Again, sorry about the wait. So I decided to give you some heart warming fluffiness to make up for it, hope you have a warm and fuzzy feeling now, and there's more to come. All you have to do, is review ;) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And another update for you! Gosh, I must still be feeling guilty for my months-long hiatus...Either that or I'm finally getting back into this story...But you probably don't care, and just want me to update already, god-damn it!**

**Thanks to those of you wonderful souls who have taken the time to review... *Hugs***

**Chapter Six: Healers and What-Ifs.**

Fifteen minutes and twenty seconds after Jess' rather awkward hug with Edilio-one which was bound to be burned into her memory for life-Jess found herself looking up at the once pristine Clifftop Hotel. Normally, it wouldn't have taken Jess more than ten minutes to get here on foot but she figured having a huge bleeding gunshot wound would draw unwanted attention in the ruthless streets of Perdido Beach Town, so she went along the outskirts. And it hurt like a stinging bitch and _that _ was slowing her down even more. She had gotten over the shock of being shot, which was surprisingly easy, and now she seemed to view her wound as more of an annoyance than any real problem.

Holding on to her shoulder with her good hand, Jessica Bennett mentally braced herself and pushed open the once-automatic-now-motionless doors of the hotel. She admitted that her shoulder did hurt. She also admitted that the loss of blood was making her woozy. But never did she admit that she was looking forward to being healed.

Perhaps it was because Jess had never been in a situation which required the healers assistance before now, she prided herself of being adequate enough to take care of her own body and staying out of the wars of others. Well, that is until now, she mused as she ascended up the carpet covered stairs. Was it normal to be nervous before your first heal? Just like it was normal to be nervous before your first doctor's appointment?

Perhaps, but maybe it had something to do with Jess' outstanding pride. She had this...problem, you see,when it came to asking for help. Well, more than a problem, she hated it with every fiber of her being. Asking for help or accepting it when offered implied that you couldn't take care of yourself _by yourself. _The loner inside her agreed to this sentiment.

But no matter what it cost her pride or how much it made her uncomfortable, Jess was about to ask for help. But in a way, it wasn't just for her. Edilio had been very firm, saying that she _had _to see the healer before he would help them. So Jess _had _to get healed before she could help Sara. In any other circumstance, Jess would rather extract the irritating bullet from her shoulder with her own fingers and heal the old-fashioned way than ask for help from the infamously grouchy healer. Not that she'd ever met this Lana before, so it was probably arrogant to judge her but-

Jess was at the door. She took a moment to listen for any sounds coming from inside the suit-and heard nothing. Edilio _had _said suit number 6...right? God damn it just _knock already! _

She knocked, once, twice, three times.

She heard a faint grumble come from the other side of the door, slight clinking of bottles, before the source of the noise sounded like it was on the other side of the door, sounding _very _grouchy, Jess might add.

"Who's there?"

Jess drew in a deep breath before replying (This girl sounded more than grouchy, she sounded scary).

"Um...We've never met but, I'm hurt and..."

Jess was cut off by a series of rattling and banging noises that preceded the violent jolts and shakes of the suit door without it actually opening. Each tremor the door took was followed by a long string of incredibly rude and surprisingly imaginative cusses from the girl who was trying -unsuccessfully- to open the door.

"Damn. Useless. bugger!"

With one last violent yank, the door flew open with a loud splintering sound of tearing wood. Behind the door (Which was still miraculously still attached to the frame) stood the girl Jess assumed to be the healer. She wasn't that much to look at, medium height, lank brown hair. What _was _interesting about Lana was the expression she wore. If looks could kill, the poor door would have been killed at least a dozen times. Jess made a mental note never to piss off this scary girl.

The door frame wasn't as lucky as it's counterpart, having been torn from the wall completely on one side and now hung loosely by a few splinters. This girl was definitely scary, Jess decided.

"Um...Hi?" Jess said awkwardly, blaming the lack of a good you-just-broke-a-door-nice-to-meet-you icebreaker on her poor social skills.

The healer tore her death glare away from the door and looked upon the girl in front of her, noticing first, of course, the large bloodstain on her shirt, her eyebrows raising slightly as she appraised the wound -not to mention making Jess _very _uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

An unexpected twist in this rather uncomfortable exchange was a small smile forming on the healers lips. My confusion of the girl had reached the limit.

"Something funny?"

"Not funny it's just..." Lana began, her smile getting bigger. Jess began to wonder if this girl was actually sane, "Most people who come to see me have toothaches and ingrown toes...To be honest, I've actually started to get very pissed off every time someone comes here. I don't like it when people waste my time."

Jess waited patiently for the girl to speak again, she was sure that there had to be more to it but instead of talking, Lana just walked back into the suit.

"Are you going to come in or do you plan on just standing there, bleeding all over my hallway?"

Jess' eyebrows raised at the strange girl but she scrambled to get inside nonetheless, not wanted to test the healer's patience.

It looked like it may have actually been a nice suit, once upon a time. Now, however, it vaguely resembled a lazy college student's apartment. It smelled heavily of cigarettes and there was definitely a whiff of Howard's homemade liquor in there as well. The floors looked like many people had been in and out of this room without the courtesy of taking off their shoes while a random assortment of clothing items were tossed here and there over chairs and such. It looked much like most houses that had been lived in do in the FAYZ. Although Jess was very proud to say she had kept her own house in remarkably better condition than this, but then again, Jess didn't have people barging in on her personal space every day for a little healing so she couldn't really judge. Jess didn't have much of a social life in general.

Lana ushered her guest over to a small table, and after tossing aside a suspiciously dirty sock which had previously been resting on the chair, motioned for Jess to sit down.

"It would be easier if you took off your shirt, you know."

Jess tried to hold back from flinching at the prospect. She really, really _didn't want _to remove her shirt. Not that she was self-conscious or anything, it's just that...Okay maybe she was a little self conscious. But that was stupid, they were both girls, weren't they? There was no reason why she should be -but then again, Jess had never really been exposed to anyone before. Even in PE, she had gotten changed in the shower stalls. Gods! This was the stupidest thing one could be arguing with yourself over! So what if your...Small. It's not like that mattered anymore. Who cared about how well endowed you were when you're fighting for your life on a daily basis. Jess inwardly sighed, hating those mental arguments she sometimes had with herself, especially when she lost. She stiffly pulled the hem of her shirt up, and got it halfway up too, when a burst of fresh pain coursed through her shoulder, apparently not liking the new angle her arm was at in the slightest.

Lana moved to help Jess out of the garment before pulling a chair to sit beside her. The healer kept her gaze on the wound only, making Jess feel very thankful. She was already beet red and she didn't think she could handle if the healer had mentioned anything about any sort of lack-of-size she may or may not have had. At least she was wearing a bra, for all the good it did to her.

Lana rested her hand over the wound, causing an involuntary flinch of Jess' part. The pain was intense, all thoughts of self-consciousness left Jess.

"You've got a pretty high tolerance for pain," The healer remarked.

"If you say so," Jess said shortly.

There was a small but still audible huff and a few seconds passed before the healer said, "I was just trying to make conversation. This could take a while, you know,"

Then Jess felt bad. Here this girl was, taking the time to heal a complete stranger and Jess was coming off as rude. She blamed her lack of social skills, of course.

"So, did you always live in Perdido Beach?" Jess asked.

"No. I lived here for years when I was younger, but my parents moved to Las Vegas a while back. So by extension, I was dragged kicking and screaming with them. What about you?"

"I live with my mom, she moves around a lot for work. I actually only moved here a few months before all this stuff started happening. If you live in Las Vegas, how did you end up here again?" Jess replied and asked.

"I got caught sneaking a bottle of Vodka out of the house for my boyfriend. Sent here as punishment."

"Oh..." Jess wasn't too sure of what else to say. She was starting to notice the pain was slowly but surely subsiding. "Feels better," She said.

"It looks better, not healed yet but..." Lana stopped talking when there was a slight clinking noise. Jess looked down to see a small dark object obscured in blood on the floor below her.

"Well, at least the bullet's out," Lana concluded dryly. "Where else have you lived? Ever been to Las Vegas?"

"Not Vegas, uh...San Francisco, Oregon, Texas...A few others,"

Lana didn't say anything for a minute or so, she seemed to be in deep thought. When she did speak, it was in a rueful, almost sad voice, "Makes you wonder, had your mom gotten a job in any other town, or had I been more careful, maybe not worried about my social status so much and didn't have Tony as my boyfriend..." Lana trailed off so Jess finished her sentence for her.

"We wouldn't be stuck here."

"Yeah..."

"Thank you for this, by the way. I wish there was a way I could repay you," Jess said, not sure what prompted her to do so.

There was silence for a minute or so, and Jess got to thinking she maybe did something to upset the Healer. So she tentatively turned her head to look at the other girl. Her brows were furrowed together in confusion.

"What?" Jess asked.

"Nothing, it's just...No one has ever really offered to 'repay' me when I heal them,"

"Really?"

"Yeah..." Lana trailed off. Then she spoke again, "How did you get this?"

Jess' heart quickened but she didn't let it show as she spoke, "Training accident. I'm a new recruit on Edilio's squad," She replied flawlessly, the alibi Edilio had given her.

For a few moments, no one spoke.

"I think this is almost healed..."

Jess turned to look at her shoulder which Lana uncovered from her hand for her too see. It did look better, there was still a small puncture but nothing a band-aid couldn't cover.

"That's good for now, the rest will heal soon," Jess wanted to get out of here, she needed to get back to Sara and Edilio as soon as she possibly could.

"Are you sure you don't want me too finish?"

"No. I mean, thanks-but I have to get back," Jess said, "Look, other people may not care but I feel like I owe you one-"

"You shouldn't worry about it-"

"I owe you one. Whenever you need something done, remember that," Jess finished as if there was no interruption.

Jess rose from her seat, giving her arm a few experimental rolls. Yes, it still hurt, but the pain was bearable now. Nothing a Tylenol wouldn't take away.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Lana replied sheepishly.

They exchanged short goodbyes before Jess departed through the wrecked door. Maybe she would fix that door for Lana, as payment or whatever. Some other time, she told herself. Now she had to worry about Sara.

Jess didn't like having to worry about other people, it was one of the main reason she preferred to know as few people as possible. Knowing too many people made your life complicated. People were complicated. They always had been, and that would never change. But Sara was her friend, Angela was her responsibility. Edilio was her...Friend? Perhaps. Maybe Lana was now too. They seemed to get along well enough. Did that make them friends?

So many friends. Too many worries.

So much for Loner Jess.

**A/N: S***. I really wanted more in this chapter. Why must I obsess over details? I must ask you guys a question, and please be honest. Would you prefer more chapters with less in them (Which would take less time to update) Or would you prefer longer chapters with more stuff (Which updates would be more infrequent)? LET ME KNOW! **

**Just heard this song. It's called "Plane" By Jason Mraz, if you like depressing ballads you should check it out. There's my music suggestion for the day. **

**Lots of heart warming fluffiness for next chapter! stay tuned! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So, chapter seven-WAIT WHAT? Yup, chapter seven. "What, she completely ignores us for like, two months, then suddenly she finds the impulse to update three times in a week?" "Yup!" "She must have multiple personalities or something!" "What are you talking about, multiple personalities?" "Oh nothing..."**

**LISTEN UP PEOPLES! I really want to write a One-shot, and I have like a billion ideas running around in my spacious brain, but I am also notoriously known for my indecisiveness, which is why I am letting YOU GUYS choose the subject for me:) *Giggles* There's a poll on my profile with a bunch of my ideas for one-shots so go onto my profile, pick the one you think would be the most interesting! The most popular one will be written! So go, vote now. Do it, now. Now. Do it. Why are you still reading? Do it. Now. **

**Chapter Seven:**

**In the Dead of Night, Near a freshly dug Grave.**

"Are you it's...?"

"It's fine. No one is here anymore,"

"It really far, are you sure you're fine with living so far out?"

"I'm fine with it as long as no one lives here. And plus, it's not like I have much of a choice,"

"It's actually prime, the plantation fields are just over that dune,"

"Is it...Safe? I mean, for Sara to be living in such a desired place..."

"I pass by here most days, never seen a soul around. In any case, I can always spread a little rumor about the place being invested with Zekes while training my squad,"

"Gossip travels like wildfire,"

"Especially when people have little else to do,"

"Mhm,"

They were standing at the edge of the road, at the start of a long straight driveway that lead to an out of the way house. Jess and Sara both admired the place Edilio had lead them to, it certainly was a prime spot. Edilio himself stood next to the girls, looking a slight bit please with himself. Jess decided then and there she would never be able to repay him for what he was doing, the corners he was cutting for them.

"Thank you."

"Just trying to help-"

"You didn't have to, you weren't forced to do any of this. You did anyways, so thank you."

It was Jess speaking, but at her words, Sara lifted her head from it's gloomy slump to look at the Hispanic boy.

"Thank you..." Her voice was soft, quiet, but clear and genuine. She hadn't said much since the whole "Michael" incident, unless a question was directly aimed at her, she kept to her quiet self. It was clear the guilt was eating away at her, but she still went along with all of Edilio and Jess' preparations to have her relocated.

Edilio looked at the ground, but it didn't obscure the slight blush forming on his smooth tanned cheeks. Jess felt the corners of her lips want to rise up at the sight but she fought it, keeping her cool.

"You're welcome."

Edilio had chosen to help them for many reasons. One, the primary one, was to save Sara's life. It was unspoken, unmentioned, but they all knew or had guessed that Sara was very powerful. Three bars at least, if any of them could hazard a guess, they would lean closer to four. If anyone found out, it wouldn't just be the mob after Sara, it would be Sam's estranged twin brother as well. Edilio felt it was his responsibility as mayor to protect her from both scared kids with razor blade embedded lightsabers to telekinetic sociopaths. Not just for her sake, but for anyone who tried to harm her. The girl was dangerous, and while he couldn't deny that she was a good person, one of the few left, she had to be kept away from other people.

And there was that niggling satisfaction he got when he was consciously doing something he knew would make Jess happy. What. The. Hell.

They began to trek up the driveway together, it was nearing sunset now, their shadows being elongated by the angel of the suns rays. Jess watched the alien looking forms move in sync with their steps, a feeling of apprehension over took her. There was something in the back of her mind, something that wanted to be remembered, but Jess couldn't. It was the feeling you got when you forgot something important before realizing it. So she mentally went through all the things they had talked about. Healed by Lana, done. Relocating Sara, in process. They would bury Michael tonight, in the dark so no one would see the fate that had befallen the boy. But there was still something..._bugging _her. Jess pushed it away as after affects of a stressful day.

They approached the house, no one spoke as Sara laid the small bag of possessions she had brought from her old home on her new bed. It was a cozy house, small and uncluttered. They said goodbyes there, Jess and Edilio making their leave. Edilio had said no to Sara's offers of help in burying Michael, stating that by the law, she was no longer allowed to set foot in Perdido Beach, but in truth he didn't want her to have to face what she did again. He and Jess would take care of it, then they could put this whole thing behind them.

He and Jess walked side by side down the driveway, he was very conscious to her movements for some reason, noting the new t-shirt she was wearing after coming back from being healed. Apparently it was one of Lana's, her having let her borrow it after her old one got trashed from the blood. He also noted the few drips of blood on the right thigh of her jeans, he noted her jeans. Her legs, very long legs. Yes, she was quite tall, almost as tall as he was-Wait, what?

Edilio forced all inappropriate thoughts out of his head. Really, what the hell. He shook his head, glad that Jess wasn't looking at him right now, the blush he was sporting was NOT something he wanted her to see.

~I~I~I~I~I~I~I~I~

Jess was trying to keep her gaze on the ground in front of her moving feet. She went over everything that had occurred today. Woke up. Check. Ate lunch. Check. Broke open a frozen door. Check. Got shot. Check. Saw a human Popsicle. Check. Realized she might have a very, very slight crush on the town mayor. Check. Hence the keeping-eyes-on-the-ground, as to avoid thinking of that fact that here they were, alone together. Going to go bury a body. Perhaps that last part was a bit of a damper.

When they arrived back in town - having been silent most of the walk back - Jess followed Edilio quietly to the town square. It was now dark out and Jess nervously put her hand in her pocket, feeling for safety the metal of the switch blade she kept there, along with resting her other hand on the hilt of the hunting knife sheathed in her belt. You didn't walk around unarmed in the FAYZ, period. Especially at night. It was better to avoid the streets at night in general, but Jess felt a bit more at ease knowing she was with the town mayor, people didn't mess with Edilio, even before he earned his title.

They walked towards the graveyard, Jess stood back as Edilio numbly climbed in to the backhoe and wordlessly turned the ignition. Jess watched as he began to dig a new hole next to the dozens of other graves, she wondered how he did it. How he could dig the graves of fallen kids, for every child who had died and left a body to bury. She couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like.

She admired his strength to do that which no one else would. To do those tasks which needed doing. Graves needed to be dug, he dug them. Perdido Beach need a mayor, he was it.

The grave was soon deep enough, and Edilio climbed out of the backhoe and walked towards her. He was stopped by a timid looking girl who had run up to him. She couldn't have been older than twelve years old.

"Who's it for?" The girl asked, not needed to elaborate.

"A boy, his name was Michael. Do you know anyone named Michael?" Edilio asked her.

"Um...No I don't think so,"

"Go home, kid. Get some sleep," Edilio said gently. Then he continued to pace towards Jess. "Let's get this over with," he said to her and began to walk in the direction of Sara's old house.

Once they were at the half frozen house, Jess and Edilio went to work. They didn't speak unless needed, not having to and not wanting to. They wrapped Michael in a large tarp before carefully detaching him from the frozen ground. They carried the tarp covered body out of the house, Edilio leading. They didn't speak as they walked back to the town square, partly because they were both panting from the exertion of the task and partly because of the somber moment it was. They remained somberly silent as they lowered the boy's body into the freshly dug grave, Jess was grateful no one was around to witness the event. She helped Edilio use spades to cover Michael's body in soft earth. When he was sufficiently covered, Jess lowered her spade, stepped back from the grave and wipped her hands on her already stained jeans. She shocked herself with a single splotch of wetness crawling down her cheek, tingling it with a cold chill. Why was she crying? She wasn't close to Michael, she didn't even know him. This kind of compassionate weakness could mean death in the FAYZ.

She angrily wiped away the offending tear, more for the sake of her pride than of anything else. She refused to look at Edilio, hoping that he either hadn't seen the tear, or wouldn't mention it if he had.

**_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _**

Jess was nearly scared out of her own skin at the sound of the beeping. It had been so long without power, the sounds like beeps and other electronic based noises were foreign. Jess quickly accessed it was coming from her watch, something that she kept out of habit and a need to remember her old life more than a real need to know the time of day. She checked the watch, wondering if it was beeping because of low battery or...

Jess' breath hitched. She remembered what it was that had been bugging her for the past couple of hours. She remembered the special feature her watch had.

It was just after midnight. The new day was May 17th.

"It's my birthday,"

She snapped the button on the watch, causing it's silence. Her eyes green eyes were met with dark brown ones, his eyes showed interest.

"Fifteen?"

She nodded. She knew what it meant. At seven forty that following night, she would be given a choice. A choise to remain in this screwed up place, or to take her chances and plunge into the unknown.

And she's be lying to say she hadn't thought taking her chances

**A/N: What's that? Her birthday? Shister, will she poof? Teeheehe, wouldn't you like to know =) **

**I will not be updating very much in the month of august due to the fact that I will be working full time. EEK! But I WILL try as hard as I can. Reviews always help *Hint hint*. **

**But that give you guys lots of time to vote on my Poll! So go, do it, vote, do it, right now, don't even wait until you're done reading this author's note, go do it, now...You're still reading, go vote. Now. **

**lol, still like me enough to review...?**


	8. From The Author

**Hello Faithful Readers. **

I apologize sincerely for this, but I have decided to discontinue this fiction. This was the first fiction I ever posted on this site, and I am proud in a sense to have taken that step and had such good response. I owe you all for reading and reviewing, for your support has helped me gain confidence and explore my abilities further.

The reason for discontinuing this story is quite simple. I have changed a lot since joining this site, my style and preferences are worlds apart from that just a few months ago. I am sorry to say, but I cannot write from this story anymore because I do not feel interested in it enough to give it my best. I have really discovered my own style in these months, and plan to write many more stories for you wonderful people so don't think of this as an omen of retirement by any means. I am simply focusing more on stories which are more 'me' in a sense.

I will never delete this story, however. I will keep it up for nostalgic use and for readers enjoyment. I encourage you to use your imagination to create your own ending to this story, as I think it ends here very openly. And if you would be so kind as to make an author very happy, you could share your ending with me and the rest of us in a review. It would mean the world to me to hear it.

I thank you all from the deepest recesses of my heart for your support.

~SirenShadow


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